International Space Station

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News about International Space Station, including commentary and archival articles published in The New York Times.

Chronology of Coverage

Mar. 2, 2015

American astronauts Capt Barry E Wilmore and Col Terry W Virts complete third spacewalk in eight days, part of preparations for arrival of more commercial spacecraft at International Space Station. MORE

Jan. 15, 2015

NASA says American and European crew members on International Space Station were evacuated to Russian area of station twice over concerns of possible ammonia leak that turned out to be faulty computer card. MORE

Nov. 6, 2014

Orbital Sciences Corporation, manufacturer of Antares rocket carrying cargo to International Space Station that was destroyed in spectacular explosion Oct 28 in Virginia, says fault most likely lay in Soviet-era rocket engines that powered first stage; says preliminary analysis points to failure of a turbopump. MORE

Oct. 30, 2014

Investigators are trying to determine why rocket taking supplies to the International Space Station exploded just after launching in Virginia; four previous launches, three of which went to the space station, were successful. MORE

Oct. 29, 2014

Unmanned cargo rocket carrying supplies to International Space Station explodes seconds after its launch in Virginia; rocket maker Orbital Sciences Corp will lead investigation and suspend launches until problem is identified and corrected. MORE

Sep. 17, 2014

NASA announces that Boeing and Space Exploration Technologies Corporation are the winners in the competition to carry American astronauts to the International Space Station; awards reflect a fundamental shift in NASA’s human spaceflight program, relying on private companies rather than the traditional hands-on approach, in which the space agency designed and operated the spacecraft. MORE

Jan. 12, 2014

Editorial praises Obama administration's decision to extend the international space station's time in orbit by at least four years; urges Congress to appropriate enough money to keep the United States at the forefront in all realms of space research and exploration. MORE

Jan. 9, 2014

NASA announces that the International Space Station, instead of splashing into the Pacific Ocean in 2020 as planned, will continue circling Earth for at least an additional four years. MORE

Dec. 25, 2013

NASA astronauts, in seven-and-a-half-hour spacewalk, complete urgent repairs to the cooling system of International Space Station that should return it to normal operations within a few days. MORE

Dec. 22, 2013

NASA astronauts Col Michael S Hopkins and Richard A Mastracchio, working more quickly than expected, complete spacewalk in which they take steps to repair malfunctioning pump module that is part of International Space Station. MORE

Dec. 21, 2013

NASA devises makeshift snorkels that will allow an astronaut in a spacesuit to continue breathing even if a sudden water leak should fill the helmet; two astronauts are preparing for spacewalk to fix a broken pump at the International Space Station. MORE

Dec. 18, 2013

NASA says astronauts aboard International Space Station will venture outside on three spacewalks to replace a malfunctioning pump that has shut down part of the station’s cooling system; also postpones launching of cargo supply ship. MORE

Dec. 13, 2013

Astronauts aboard the International Space Station dim the lights, turned off unneeded equipment and put off some experiments as NASA scrambles to figure out what was wrong with a key cooling unit that shut down because of a faulty valve. MORE

May. 17, 2013

Astronaut Chris Hadfield has become Canada's newest star after his series of publicity stunts, steady stream of online photo postings and Twitter messages, and video of himself playing acoustic guitar from his command at International Space Station. MORE

May. 12, 2013

Two astronauts aboard International Space Station conduct unplanned spacewalk to look for source of leak that forced shutdown of one of eight power systems providing electricity to orbiting laboratory; astronauts spend five and a half hours outside space station, but are unable to locate source of leak; installation of new pump appears to solve problem. MORE

Apr. 23, 2013

The Week column; Canadian Space Agency, holds contest for schoolchildren to design simple experiment that could be carried out by an astronaut aboard the International Space Station; agency posts online video illustrating winning entry, from two 10th-grade girls in Nova Scotia; other significant developments in health and science news highlighted. MORE

Mar. 16, 2013

Russian Soyuz capsule lands in steppes of Kazakhstan, bringing home American and two Russian astronauts from International Space Station a day after their original return was delayed by foul weather. MORE

Mar. 2, 2013

Space Exploration Technologies Corporation's rocket carrying cargo to International Space Station has problems with its thrusters, imperiling its ability to get where it was going; drama subsides quickly when SpaceX says it has fixed problem and balky thrusters had only delayed arrival of cargo ship at station by perhaps one day. MORE

Jan. 17, 2013

National Aeronautics and Space Administration signs $17.8 million contract with Bigelow Aerospace to build an inflatable module that could reach the International Space Station as soon as 2015. MORE

Oct. 9, 2012

Spaceship carrying cargo bound for the International Space Station is on course despite experiencing engine trouble shortly after liftoff. MORE

Jul. 25, 2012

Russian cargo spaceship Progress-M, experimenting with a new type of autopilot, fails to dock with the International Space Station; Russian officials say the malfunction is not a serious setback, but it recalls a string of failures by the country's space program. MORE

Jun. 1, 2012

Dragon, the first commercial spacecraft to ferry supplies into space, touches down in the Pacific Ocean following a successful mission; unmanned capsule carried about 1,100 pounds of food, water, clothing and equipment to the International Space Station. MORE

May. 26, 2012

Space Exploration Technologies Corporation's Dragon space craft docks with the International Space Station, making it the first private company to send a craft to the station. MORE

May. 25, 2012

SpaceX Dragon, the world's first private supply ship, passes critical test as it prepares to dock with the International Space Station. MORE

May. 23, 2012

Entrepreneur Elon Musk's latest achievement is the launch of the Falcon 9 rocket ship built by his company Space Exploration Technologies Corp, which will dock at the International Space Station; SpaceX, with the completion of its successful demonstration, will begin a $1.6 billion contract to fly 12 cargo missions to the space station. MORE

May. 18, 2012

Falcon 9, spacecraft built by privately-owned company SpaceX, is scheduled to to launch from Cape Canaveral, Fla; will carry cargo and 11 experiments designed by high school students to the International Space Station. MORE

Dec. 24, 2011

Soyuz spacecraft safely delivers astronauts to the International Space Station, but a different version of the Soyuz rocket fails to launch a satellite, adding to doubts about the state of Russia's space program. MORE

Dec. 22, 2011

Soyuz spacecraft carrying Russian Oleg Kononenko, American Don Pettit and Dutchman Andrew Kuipers to the International Space Station takes off successfully from a Russian launching facility in Kazakhstan. MORE

Nov. 15, 2011

Russian Soyuz rocket begins two-day trip to ferry three astronauts to the International Space Station; flight opens new era of American dependence on Russia, and eventually on commercial enterprises, for manned space travel, after the end of NASA’s space shuttle program. MORE

Nov. 14, 2011

Russian spacecraft Soyuz TMA-22 blasts off successfully from Kazakhstan on a mission to the International Space Station, carrying an American and two Russian astronauts. MORE

Nov. 13, 2011

Flight of the Russian Soyuz spacecraft, which is scheduled to ferry two Russians and one American astronaut to the International Space Station, marks beginning of new chapter for the National Aeronautics and Space Administration, as it turns to foreign governments and commercial enterprises for space transportation. MORE

Oct. 11, 2011

YouTube and Lenovo announce SpaceLab contest aimed at students ages 14 to 18 who will make videos proposing experiments that could be conducted at International Space Station. MORE

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Less than 12 hours after a warning alarm roused two astronauts from their sleep, everything was back to normal, NASA said, and there were strong indications that the problem was a faulty computer card rather than an actual leak.